Weekday Gospel Reflection

Monday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 5:38-42 - World English Bible

Jesus told his followers:

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, don’t resist him who is
evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the
other also. 40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have
your cloak also. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him
two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and don’t turn away him who desires
to borrow from you."

In Matthew 5:33-37, Jesus addressed the disciple's relationship with
God; one should take care in vows made to the divine. In this passage,
he spoke to the followers' relationships with others; he addressed the
law of reciprocity (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21).
This law meant to limit the response of the aggrieved over an insult
or injury he suffered. In this way, ever escalating feuds could be
avoided and social order maintained. But, there was a problem with
this law of reciprocity; who knew what measure of justice was
equitable? The victim could go before the judge for a ruling, but
could the injured party trust the fairness of the judge? The law was
fine in principle but difficult in practice. How could one keep this
duty from the Law?

Jesus proposed passivity as an answer. If the disciple does not
resist evil, he has upheld the Law. The person who insults with a slap
to the face, the thief, the imperial soldier who had the right under
Roman law to compel a non-citizen into service for one mile, even the
one who wants to borrow, all these people should not be resisted. For
the Jewish Christian who still keep the Law, suffering was a means to
uphold the duty of the Torah.

Tuesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 5:43-48 - World English Bible

Jesus taught his followers:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your
neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies,
bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for
those who mistreat you and persecute you, 45 that you may be children
of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the
evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. 46 For
if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don’t even
the tax collectors do the same? 47 If you only greet your friends,
what more do you do than others? Don’t even the tax collectors do the
same? 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven
is perfect."

What does it mean to be perfect? To most of us, it means achieving an
ideal state. Moral perfection means a life of virtue, an ongoing and
consistent flow of ethical actions that revealed a strong character.
But what does it mean to love perfectly? Jesus taught love meant
universal charity.

The proverb the Lord quoted combined Leviticus 19:18 ("Love your
neighbor...") with a sentiment found in writings like the Qumran
Manual of Discipline Ix, 21-26 ("...hate your enemy."). Popular
attitudes qualified the notion of love, reducing it to nationalism.
Love your fellow citizen but hate the foreigner. Jesus, however,
commanded universal human charity based upon divine compassion. The
Christian should return insult with kindness, persecution with
magnanimity, simply because YHWH, the only true deity, treated
everyone the same. Then, he compared the actions of the sinner with
that commanded by the proverb; if there was no difference between the
two, how could the Jew claim to be morally superior to the sinner or
Gentile? The only possible way to seek any sense of exclusivity, any
claim of moral superiority, was to treat others the way God treated
everyone.

To be perfect as YHWH was to love as the Lord loved, unconditionally.

How do you balance your patriotism with your
commitment to Christian love?

Wednesday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 - World English Bible

Jesus told his disciples:

1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving
before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your
Father who is in heaven. 2 Therefore when you do merciful deeds, don’t
sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most
certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you
do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand
does, 4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father
who sees in secret will reward you openly.

5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for
they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of
the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you,
they have received their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, enter into
your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is
in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

16 “Moreover when you fast, don’t be like the hypocrites,
with sad faces. For they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen
by men to be fasting. Most certainly I tell you, they have received
their reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash
your face; 18 so that you are not seen by men to be fasting, but by
your Father who is in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret,
will reward you."

In Matthew 6, Jesus taught his followers about the three spiritual
practices that have become the pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer and
fasting. In typical fashion for this gospel, he compared the way the
Pharisees performed these practices with the way his followers should,
and he painted the comparison with a broad brush. He portrayed the
Pharisees as arrogant and vain, while his disciples should be humble
and discrete. Of course, not all Pharisees were so self-absorbed and
proud and it was impossible for early Christians to perform such
practices in a way no one would notice.

Pharisees, especially in urban settings and the Diaspora, led the
people by example. Their dress and behavior set the standard for Jews
to follow. As such, they defined Judaism for their fellow countrymen
and for the Gentiles. They were to inspire their followers in ways
that fulfilled Leviticus 19:18, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"
especially in giving assistance to the poor and the widow. Since they
were distinctive in look and action, they were easy targets for
caricature.

Jesus portrayed the leadership style of the his followers not in
distinction with dress and behavior but in humility. He wanted them to
give alms in a way friends would not notice ("left hand" and "right"
were analogies for those closest to the giver). He taught that
humility pleased God more than leading by example. In the same manner,
he insisted on discretion for the practices of prayer and fasting.

We might not always to be able to give to the poor, pray or fast
without being seen, but we can get on with our spiritual practices
without creating a show for others. Example is important, but style
counts, too.

Thursday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 6:7-15 - World English Bible

Jesus said to this disciples:

7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles
do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking. 8
Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you
need, before you ask him. 9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may
your name be kept holy. 10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be
done, as in heaven, so on earth. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12
Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. 13 Bring us not
into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the
Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.'"

In Matthew 6, Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. In 6:5 (not
here), he warned his followers not to empathize the outward appearance
of the act; in 6:7, he urged them not to entreat divine favor through
repetitive pronouncement of God's name. Many non-Jews believed the
gods only heard their requests through the proper sequence and
repetition of prayer; these pagans focused on ritual and style, rather
than content. Indeed, they held that use of a deity's name gave them
power over that spiritual being. Jesus, of course, rejected that
notion. He did not address repetitive prayers such as meditation,
however.

Matthew's Our Father is the version of prayer we are familiar with.
With the addition of the ending (6:13b, not included in the best
manuscripts), the prayer fitted the classic prayer form in Judaism; it
began with God, came down to people and returned to God. Besides the
prayer's simplicity, it focused on the Kingdom, a coming reality. It
praised the name of its king in intimate terms ("Father") and
entreated the growth of his reputation and his rule ("your will be
done"). It recognized all things came from YHWH ("Give us this day our
daily bread."); this verse could also be interpreted as a request for
bread the day the Kingdom arrives in the end times and bread within
the Kingdom (hence, Eucharisitic overtones). The same tension between
present fulfillment and future gift with bread in 6:11 existed with
forgiveness in 6:12; would the disciple be forgiven now or at the
Final Judgment (or both)? 6:13a clearly referred to the future with
testing in the rise of the Evil One and the coming tribulation.

With the rise of Christianity in medieval Europe, the Our Father
reshaped the notion of popular attitudes about prayer. Its focus shift
from ritual to content, from style to intent. Prayer was not about
claiming our power over God, but realizing his power over us.

Friday in the Eleventh Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 6:19-23 - World English Bible

Jesus told his followers:

19 “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth,
where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and
steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and
steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your
eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your
eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore
the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!"

After Jesus addressed the spiritual practices of almsgiving, prayer
and fasting in Matthew 6, he employed two parables to highlight the
attitude of his followers in those practices. In the first saying, he
compared the pursuit of reputation as gathering wealth. The arrogant
(symbolized by the Pharisee) wanted a high reputation and social
stature but what good was such when gossip and shame could quickly
destroy such standing? Wasn't righteousness before God (like treasure
in heaven) far more important?

Jesus next turned to the eye as a symbol for spirituality. He used it
in two ways, as a organ of sight and as a facial clue for others to
judge one's character. As a organ of sight, the eye saw the good or
the evil the person wished to see. In other words, how the person
employed the eye measured their spirituality. Second, the eye was key
to revealing that spirituality to others. How does one judge the
character of others? Look at their face, especially their eyes, to
give a clue. Does the person have "smiling" eyes or does he give the
"evil" eye? Does he have "trustworthy" eyes or "shifting" eyes?

In the parables of the treasure and the eye, Jesus shifted the focus
of spirituality away from behavior to intent. What a person intended
to do was just as important as what he did.

What treasure do you intend to build in heaven today?
How do you "see" yourself accomplishing that task?

Saturday in the Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time

Matthew 6:24-34 - World English Bible

Jesus told his followers:

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate
the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and
despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon. 25 Therefore I
tell you, don’t be anxious for your life: what you will eat, or what
you will drink; nor yet for your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life
more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 See the birds of
the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into
barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value
than they?

27 “Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to
his lifespan? 28 Why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they
spin, 29 yet I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not
dressed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the
field, which today exists, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, won’t
he much more clothe you, you of little faith?

31 “Therefore don’t be anxious, saying, ‘What will we
eat?’, ‘What will we drink?’ or, ‘With what will we be clothed?’ 32
For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father
knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first God’s Kingdom,
and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as
well. 34 Therefore don’t be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be
anxious for itself. Each day’s own evil is sufficient."

In these verses from Matthew, Jesus indirectly looped back to his
teaching on alsmgiving (6:1-4) when he spoke of the importance of
money. After all, if a disciple gave freely to the poor, what would he
live on? The Lord presented the problem of money as a choice, desire
for cash (Mammon) or desire for God. Obviously, he answered the
dilemma in the phrase, "Don't worry." God cared for everything in his
creation; the disciples stood at the top of divine providence. The
alternative to a dependence on the divine led to anxiety and what good
was that? It gained the disciple nothing. So, seek the Kingdom and a
right relationship with God, then focus on the needs of the day. That
would be enough for anyone.

Eleventh Week

in Ordinary Time

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